NYS Music 202​1

Category: Saratoga Springs

  • Runaway Gin: a Tribute to Phish, release 2022 Winter Tour Dates

    With a fiery new rhythm section in tow, Runaway Gin has reemerged to rave reviews and are headed out on tour in 2022. They’ll make a long-awaited return to Saratoga Springs at Putnam Place on March 4, then perform at Mercury Lounge on March 5, before closing out the tour in Bridgeport, CT at Park City Music Hall.

    The southern Phish tribute band’s recent Fall Tour has featured some huge jams, including a record breaking two-song first set on Friday, November 19, and four sets with less than four songs in their last two shows. This past Friday Joel Cummings (Umphrey’s McGee) joined the band for a break-neck rendition of ‘Maze’ in Richmond, VA.

    The Winter 2022 Tour schedule includes returns to Jacksonville, Atlanta, Nashville, Winston-Salem, Roanoke, Washington, DC, Chicago, New York City, Ardmore, PA, and Saratoga Springs. The band will also have debut performances in Columbus, Indianapolis, Cincinnati, and Bridgeport, CT.

    Added shows include a debut performance at legendary Richmond, VA venue the National on April, 2nd, long awaited returns to the Lincoln Theatre in Raleigh, NC, and the Visulite Theatre in Charlotte, NC, as well as returns to Greenville, SC and Asheville, NC at the Radio Room and Asheville Music Hall.

    Tickets will be available for a limited presale at NOON EST today through Friday via Atributetophish.com/tour.
    Public onsale begins Friday at noon at Atributetophish.com/tour.

    For tour dates, videos and live recordings visit Runaway Gin’s website here complete with videos, posters, photos, and setlists. Follow Runaway Gin on Facebook.

    Runaway Gin 2022 Winter Tour

    January 20th – Jacksonville, FL – 1904 Music Hall
    January 21st – Atlanta, GA – Aisle 5
    January 22nd – Nashville, TN – Exit/In
    February 3rd – Winston-Salem, NC – the Ramkat
    February 4th – Roanoke, VA – 5 Points Music Sanctuary
    February 5th – Washington, DC – Pearl St. Warehouse
    February 6th – Pittsburgh, PA – Thunderbird Live
    February 9th – Columbus, OH – the Summit Music Hall
    February 10th – Chicago, IL – the Point
    February 11th – Indianapolis, IN – the Mouse Trap
    February 12th – Cincinnati, OH – Riverfront Live
    March 3th – Ardmore, PA – Ardmore Music Hall
    March 4th – Saratoga Springs, NY – Putnam Place
    March 5th – New York, NY – Mercury Lounge
    March 6th – Bridgeport, CT – Park City Music Hall
    April 2nd – Richmond, VA – the National
    April 8th – Raleigh, NC – Lincoln Theatre
    April 9th – Charlotte, NC – Visulite Theatre
    April 15th – Greenville, SC – the Radio Room
    May 13th – Asheville, NC – Asheville Music Hall
    May 31 – Charleston, SC – Charleston Pour House*
    *post-Phish show, ‘Just the Covers’

    Runaway Gin also recently released their first three song set from Salvage Station in Asheville earlier this month. VIDEO LINK

  • Robert Plant and Alison Krauss Announce 2022 Tour with stops in Canandaigua, Saratoga Springs and Queens

    On the heels of their newly released album Raise The Roof, Robert Plant and Alison Krauss have announced a string of tour dates, their first shows together in over a decade.

    The duo first released Raising Sand in 2007 and promptly won the Grammy Award for Album of the Year. They’ll kick their tour off in June with three stops in the Empire State, starting with Cananadaigua’s CMAC, then head to Saratoga Performing Arts Center and Forest Hills in Queens before heading to the Midwest. The pair will play 8 shows in Europe starting later that month to round out their return to the road. Tickets are available here.

    Robert Plant and Alison Krauss Tour

    June 1 – Canandaigua, NY – CMAC
    June 3 – Saratoga Springs, NY – Saratoga Performing Arts Center
    June 4 – Forest Hills, NY – Forest Hills Stadium
    June 6 – Clarkston, MI – DTE Energy Music Theatre
    June 7 – Chicago, IL – Jay Pritzker Pavilion
    June 9 – Indianapolis, IN – TCU Amphitheater at White River State Park
    June 11 – Columbia, MD – Merriweather Post Pavilion
    June 12 – Philadelphia, PA – TD Pavilion @ The Mann
    June 14 – Cary, NC – Koka Booth Amphitheatre
    June 16 – Atlanta, GA – Cadence Bank Amphitheatre at Chastain Park
    June 26 – London, UK – BST Hyde Park
    July 1 – Hamar, NO – Tjuvholmen Arena
    July 2 – Bergen, NO – Bergenhus Fortress
    July 5 – Rättvik, SE – Dalhalla
    July 14 – Lucca, IT – Lucca Summer Festival – Piazza Napoleone
    July 16 – Stuttgart, DE – JazzOpen Stuttgart 2022
    July 18 – Sopot, PL – Opera Lesna
    July 20 – Berlin, DE – Zitadelle

  • Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band Returns to Caffe Lena

    Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band played two shows for the Caffe Lena crowd in Saratoga Springs on Thursday, November 19, 2021.

    Playing in support of their April release, Dance Songs for Hard Times, the show, and album, conveyed the hopes and fears of pandemic living, including the bleak financial challenges detailed on the songs “Ways and Means” and “Dirty Hustlin’.” Payton pines for in-person reunions with loved ones on “No Tellin’ When,” and he pleads for celestial relief on the album-closing “Come Down Angels.”

    Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band

    Far from a depressing listen, Dance Songs lives up to its name by delivering action-packed riffs and rhythms across 11 songs. The country blues trio that won over crowds on more than one Warped Tour knows how to make an audience move.

    Reverend Payton found itself sidelined from a relentless touring schedule because of the coronavirus pandemic. Peyton says he was surprised when his mind and soul unleashed a batch of new songs in March and April of 2020. This also allowed Big Damn Band supporters around the world check in monthly for pay-what-you-can livestream performances that originate at the Peytons’ log cabin.

    Back on tour and playing to an always supportive audience at Caffe Lena, Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band put aside the hardships of this moment in history, to focus on music created so that it may help people through it, as it seems to help Peyton through it as well.

    Setlist: You Can’t Steal My Shine, Ways and Means, Give me Back My Wig, Plainfield Blues, Poor Until Payday, Dirty Hustlin’, No Telling When, Nell, My Old Man Boogie, Too Cool to Dance, Train Song

    • Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band
    • Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band
    • Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band
    • Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band
    • Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band
    • Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band

  • Universal Preservation Hall Announces 2021-2022 Schedule

    Proctors Collaborative has announced the next block of upcoming shows at Universal Preservation Hall in Saratoga Springs. 

    Universal Preservation Hall

    After a brief opening in Feb. 2020, as with many venues across the country, UPH had to close its doors briefly before opening again during the COVID-19 pandemic as an exhibit hall in July 2020. 

    UPH is incredibly unique and adaptable as a year-round cultural center with multiple spaces. Our main performance space is a 700-seat, state-of-the-art theatre in the round and has been designed so that no audience member will be farther than 60 feet from the performer. There’s not a bad seat in the house!

    Teddy Foster, Director of UPH

    After a couple of very successful exhibits, celebrating local music with the 2021 Capital Region Thomas Edison Music Awards and welcoming new inductees to the Capital Region Thomas Edison Music Hall of Fame, we’re excited to open our doors again for this great line-up of events.

    Max Weinberg’s Jukebox  

    7:30 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 21. The Great Hall at UPH, $39.50 – $69.50 

    Storm Large: Holiday Ordeal  

    8:00 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 16. The Great Hall at UPH, $37.00 – $77.00 

    It’s a Jazzy Christmas  

    7:00 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 18. The Great Hall at UPH, $27.50 

    The Bad Plus  

    8:00 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 13. The Great Hall at UPH, $27.00 – $43.00 

    Hipster Assassins 

    8:00 p.m. Friday, Jan. 28. The Great Hall at UPH, $17.00 – $37.00 

    Bakithi Kumalo & the Graceland Experience  

    7:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 5. The Great Hall at UPH, $17.00 – $37.00 

    Howard Jones Acoustic Trio  

    7:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 12. The Great Hall at UPH, $27.00 – $67.00 

    The King’s Singers  

    7:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 17. The Great Hall at UPH, $23.00 – $58.00 

    The Seven Wonders – Fleetwood Mac Tribute  

    7:00 p.m. Friday, March 4. The Great Hall at UPH, $17.50 – $42.50 

    Ladysmith Black Mambazo  

    7:00 p.m. Saturday, March 5. The Great Hall at UPH, $32.50 – $62.50 

    Irish Hooley with The Screaming Orphans  

    7:00 p.m. Saturday, March 12. The Great Hall at UPH, $25.00 

    Spa City Guitar Festival  

    Friday – Sunday, March 18-20. The Great Hall at UPH, $32.50 

    Top of the World – a Carpenter’s Tribute  

    7:30 p.m. Saturday, March 26. The Great Hall at UPH, $23.00 – $57.00 

    Brad Mehldau  

    7:00 p.m. Friday, April 15. The Great Hall at UPH, $35.00 – $65.00 

    Journeyman  

    7:30 p.m. Saturday, April 22. The Great Hall at UPH, $17.00 – $37.00 

    All tickets are available on Nov. 15 by phone at 518.346.6204 or online at universalpreservationhall.org. 

  • Kendall Street Company and The Dirty Grass Players December Tour Features shows at Caffe Lena and Cafe Wha?

    Virginia’s jam and alt-rock outfit Kendall Street Company have teamed up with toe-tappin’ bluegrass quartet The Dirty Grass Players to announce a slew of co-headlining winter tour dates this December. The two bands will each perform a set of original songs before collaborating under the name “The Dirty Street Grass Company” for a super jam at the end of each show.

    Kendall Street Company

    The run of shows will kick off on December 4th in The Dirty Grass Players’ hometown of Baltimore, MD and weave through the Northeastern states of New York, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Vermont, and Connecticut. The collaboration series will also be available to fans worldwide via the live-streamed performance on Friday, December 10th.

    Our relationship with the Dirty Grass Players goes back to the ancient days of 2016. We were introduced to them by a talent buyer who described DGP as ‘the real deal bluegrass outfit’ and said they’d be a good pairing with our eclectic brand of jam rock. Fast forward to now, we have performed with them many times and consider them close musical companions. It’s about time we did a full-on tour together. To get hype for this collaboration, we [Kendall Street Company] have even been working on some bluegrass-y arrangements of our own tunes to mix into our set.

     Ben Laderberg of Kendall Street Company.

    Kendall Street Company (KSC) has created a unique musical identity that is quickly separating them from the pack. Featuring Louis Smith (acoustic guitar, vox), Brian Roy (bass), Ryan Wood (drums), Ben Laderberg (electric guitar), and Jake Vanaman (saxophones, keys), the band seamlessly brings together a mélange of genres as diverse as jam-rock,indie, folk, americana, psychedelia, jazz, and even bluegrass.

    Composed of Connor Murray on bass, Alex Berman on vocals & banjo, Ben Kolakowski with the guitar & vocals, and Ryan Rogers on mandolin, they have been bringing their growing fanbase a down and dirty performance for over five years. Their ability to seamlessly transition from down-home bluegrass to spirited improvisation makes each performance unique. Mix in some Allman Brothers, Pink Floyd, or a dash of southern rock and you’ll quickly understand what they mean by “Dirty Grass”. 

    Entering into their sixth year together, The Dirty Grass Players just released their 2nd studio album, “Beneath the Woodpile”. Put together with alluring harmonies, lyrics, and melodies, the band presents a sound precisely at the crossroads of traditional and progressive bluegrass. This isn’t just another run-of-the-mill bluegrass album or band; it’s cathartic and dirty grass.

    The Dirty Street Grass Company Tour Dates
    12/4 – Baltimore, MD – The 8×10
    12/5 – Manhattan, NY – Cafe Wha?
    12/8 – Newmarket, NH – The Stone Church Music Club
    12/9 – Cambridge, MA – Sonia Middle East Restaurant and  Nightclub
    12/10 – Saratoga Springs, NY – Caffe Lena
    12/11 – Burlington, VT – Nectar’s
    12/12 – New Haven, CT at Stella Blues LLC

    Tickets for all Dirty Street Grass Company tour dates are on sale now, and can be purchased here. 

    Access to the livestream can be purchased for $5 at https://caffelena.tv/categories/live-streams. For more information, please visit www.kendallstreetcompany.com or www.dirtygrassplayers.com.

  • Cassandra Kubinski Announces Show at Caffe Lena in Celebration of #1MillionHearts EP

    Cassandra Kubinski announced show at Caffe Lena in celebration of her recently dropped #1MillionHearts EP. The celebration will take place on October 31, 2021 at 7PM at Caffe Lena in Saratoga Springs. 

    Cassandra Kubinski is an up and coming singer/songwriter who has hit the billboards multiple times. She has had music on TV, from Lifetime to ESPN to ABC and  has collaborated with big names like the Goo Goo Dolls (including their collaborative release of her Autism anthem Not So Different), Chris Botti, 10,000 Maniacs, DJ Taz Rashid, and even her personal music hero, Billy Joel. You may have heard her songs that have supported  important causes, such as “Not So Different” for Autism and “You Get Me” for pet rescue. She was also  the composer and bandleader of Emmy-winning new media TV Show “The Never Settle Show” hosted by Mario Armstrong, and she serves as the Global Co-Chair of Membership for international non-profit Women in Music.

    Her #1MillionHearts EP was officially  released to all digital platforms on October 1, 2021. The Caffe Lena show follows up Kubinski’s NYC Release Show at The Cutting Room which took place on October 3, 2021 and the global virtual launch concert featuring multi platinum artists Ryan Cabrera, Jeff Timmons (98 Degrees), and Brad Fischetti (LFO) which took place on October 1, 2021. 

    Saratoga Springs holds a special place in Kubinski’s heart though which is why she’s going back there for a show at Caffe Lena. Kubinski’s previous Capital Region appearances includes multiple shows at Caffe Lena before she  became a full time Saratoga Springs resident in 2020, the Saratoga Springs Preservation Foundation Virtual Holiday Homes Tour, airplay on WEXT and WEQS, and both artist workshops and performances at Wildwood School in Schenectady.

    “I’m excited to bring my band back to Saratoga. #1MillionHearts is all about connection, community, and finding freedom after a time of darkness or constriction,” Said Kubinski. “I think many of us can relate to that in society and in ourselves at this time. We’re excited to give the audience an incredible, elevating show, and to support arts education and the upstate community as well.”

    Tickets for both in-person seats and online viewing options are available here.

    For more information on Cassandra Kubinski and her upcoming shows visit her website.

  • Dopapod kick off Fall tour in Saratoga Springs with Single Song First Set; Rock the Dock in Ithaca

    Embarking on their first tour since 2019, Dopapod chose a familiar setting in Saratoga Springs’ Putnam Place to kick things off, which they did in remarkable fashion. A mostly packed house was treated to a first set that began, and ended, with a cover of Pink Floyd’s “Echoes.”

    dopapod
    photo by Pete Mason

    In fact, that’s all they played for a full hour, finding room to jam and improvise without any let up. After 25-30 minutes of “Echoes,” fans looked around at each other wondering “Is this still Echoes?” and simultaneously realizing “This is all they’re going to play this set.” There were no complaints, and no one second-guessed the band’s choice here, rocking out for the full 63-minute set with teases of The Beatles and Dopapod originals mix in, the crowd reveling in the awesomeness they witnessed during setbreak on the Putnam patio.

    Set 2 found far more songs, nine to be exact, with a range of material from across Dopapod’s catalog. The recent debut “Velcro” kicked things off, followed by “Happy Song” off 2009’s Radar and fan favorite “Braindead” from Redivider, Luke Stratton’s lights silhouetting the band throughout.

    “Black and White,” a highlight of Dopapod’s 2017 Halloween show at Putnam Place, featured teases of “I Might Be Wrong” by Radiohead and “Funky Duck” by Vulfpeck. The final segment of “Onionhead” > “Grow” > “Present Ghosts” capped the night perfectly, bolstered by room shaking bass from Charles Jones.

    For an encore, while the setlist only showed “French Bowling,” an audible was called with AC/DC’s “T.N.T.,” preceded by Eli Winderman fist pumping and engaging the crowd to add in “OY! OY! OY!” before Eli and Rob Compa led the band through the 70s rocker. “Bowling” did indeed then close out a fun night of music afterwards.

    Dopapod, who just released their new single “Think” today, arrives at Buffalo Iron Works on Wednesday, October 27 before heading to the Midwest. Get your tickets here.

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    Dopapod – Putnam Place, Saratoga Springs, NY – 0/20/2021

    Set 1: Echoes¹

    Set 2: Velcro, Happy Song, Braindead, Like A Ball, Black and White², Onionhead > Grow > Present Ghosts

    Encore: TNT³ > French Bowling

    ¹ Pink Floyd cover, with Plaese Haalp, Norwegian Wood, and FABA teases
    ² I Might Be Wrong (Radiohead) and Funky Duck (Vulfpeck) teases
    ³ AC/DC cover

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    You Oughta Know Dopapod Rocked the Dock

    Dopapod returned to The Dock in Ithaca, a premier music venue on Cayuga Lakes Inlet, for the first time since 2012. Rob Compa gave the crowd an A+ for their vibe, saying, “This is exactly how we want a Dopapod show to be.”  

    The four piece crushed their first set with a standout “Trapper Keeper” jam that the fall crowd boogied down on. Whether you had a Jansport or an Eastpak to store it in, you probably had your video game cartridges in there as well. Dopapod fired up their old consoles for the “Donkey Kong Country Theme” -> “Something from Zelda.”

    Cornell’s infamous Barton Hall that sits in The Dock’s sightline sent a sonic wave to crash in the set. During their original “Sonic,” Dopepod took the Grateful Dead’s classic “Dark Star” on an uptempo disco vibe that sent people dancing in the boat launch. 

    The band opened the encore on drummer Neal “Fro” Evans who laid down a tight groove of improvisation before launching the band back into the 1990s. Dopapod rocked the dock with Alanis Morissette’s classic “You Oughta Know” to close the night out. Rob Compa noted told NYS Music after the show “I think Taylor Hawkins (current Foo Fighters drummer) is on the original studio drum beat for that.”

    Dopapod – The Dock, Ithaca, NY – October 21, 2021

    Set 1: Freight Train > Mucho, STADA, Trapper Keeper, Numbers Need Humans, Vol. 3 #86

    Set 2: Bats in the Cave, Donkey Kong Country Theme -> Something from Zelda > Trickery, Nerds -> Sonic¹

    Encore: You Oughta Know²

    ¹ Dark Star (Grateful Dead) tease
    ² Alanis Morissette cover, Nerds tease

    Photos by Zachary Beecher

  • The 2021 Eddies Music Awards Announces Nominees and Ceremony

    The Capital Region Thomas Edison Music Awards or more commonly known as the Eddies Music Awards announced their 2021 nominees and ceremony date. The awards ceremony will be held at 7PM on Sunday, November 14, 2021 at Universal Preservation Hall in Saratoga Springs.

    This is the second installment of the Eddies Music Awards in 2021. This group of nominees represents works done by musicians in 2020. The first installment represented works done by musicians done in 2019 and were recognized during a live broadcast from UPH this May after two postponements due to the pandemic made them unable to host the awards ceremony in 2020 as planned.  

    This year’s categories will be a little different than in previous years. Sal Prizio, Eddies co-founder and co-producer explained this saying, “About half of the categories we presented in previous years were scuttled when looking at 2020. We took a poll of judges and there was near unanimous agreement that the genre categories such as best folk artist and best hard rock artist didn’t make sense, as so much of the assessment in those categories was based on live performance.” 

    The categories this year are: Arts Publication of the Year, Arts Journalist of the Year, Radio DJ of the Year, Radio Station of the Year, Music Recording Studio of the Year, Label of the Year, Music Video of the Year, Record of the Year, Album of the Year, Songwriter of the Year, Best Presenter of Virtual Live Music Shows, and Best Live Virtual Performance(s) by an Artist – Show or Series – Covers.  

    Tickets for the Eddies Music Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony on October 27, 2021 and the Eddies Music Awards on November 14, 2021  are now on sale here. 

    For more information the 2021 Eddies Music Awards visit their website. 

    Full list of nominations listed bellow: 

    Arts Publication of the Year 

    NYS Music 

    Preview /Times Union 

    Spot 518 

    The Xperience Monthly 

    Ticket/Daily Gazette 

    Arts Journalist of the Year 

    Steve Barnes  

    Jim Gilbert  

    Michael Hallisey  

    Indiana Nash 

    Jim Shahen Jr. 

    Liam Sweeney 

    Radio DJ of the Year 

    Wanda Fisher 

    Art Fredette 

    Andy Gregory 

    Bill McCann 

    Jeff Morad 

    Sonny Speed 

    Chris Wienk 

    Radio Station of the Year 

    RadioRadioX 

    WCDB 90.9 

    WEQX 102.7 

    WEXT 97.7, 106.1 

    WSPN 91.1 

    WVCR 88.3 

    Music Recording Studio of the Year 

    Albany Audio Associates (AAA Recording Studio C) 

    Blue Sky Recording/Mixing Studio 

    Millstone Recording Studio 

    NRS Studios Catskill 

    The Recording Company 

    Starling Studios 

    Label of the Year 

    Albany Records 

    Cacophone Records 

    Equal Vision Records 

    Flipped Out Records 

    Magnetic Eye Records 

    Upstate Records 

    Music Video of the Year 

    “Everyone’s Gone Home” – Joel Brown 

    “Moon” – Novus Cantus 

    “Skin Disease” – Craig Hamilton 

    “Ain’t Going Anywhere” – Buggy Jive 

    “Modernist” – El Modernist 

    “Sellout” – Joe Mansman and The Midnight Revival Band 

    “415” – Sydney Worthley 

    “Alone” – Zan & The Winter Folk 

    Record of the Year 

    “Hold Me” – Julia Alsarraf 

    “Everyone’s Gone Home” – Joel Brown 

    “Moz Disco” – Coupons   

    “Better off Alone” – Moriah Formica 

    “Quentin” – Gordon St. 

    “Roll Over You” – Sean Rowe 

    “Andy Warhol” – Annie Scherer 

    “A Thousand Years” – The Sea The Sea 

     “415” – Sydney Worthley 

    Album of the Year 

    “Somethin’ Comes Along” – Bright Dog Red 

    “Ain’t Going Anywhere” – Buggy Jive 

    “Back Pocket” – Dominick Campana 

    “Going Places” – Dylan Canterbury 

    “Rougher Stuff” – Dark Honey 

    “Flowers for You” – Sawyer Fredericks 

    “What Happens After” – Laveda 

    “Northeast” – Sara Milonovich & Daisycutter 

    “Stumbling Home” – The Sea The Sea 

    Songwriter of the Year 

    Julia Alsarraf 

    Dan Berggren 

    Buggy Jive 

    Jim Gaudet 

    Girl Blue 

    Michael Jerling 

    Kate McDonnell 

    Kim Cirillio Wickham 

    Best Presenter of Virtual Live Music Shows 

    Caffe Lena – “Stay Home Sessions” 

    Frank Cavone / Mirth Films 

    Freedom Park Quarantune Series 

    Mark Gamsjager / The Lustre Kings weekly Saturday night virtual shows  

    High Peaks Event Productions 

    The Linda: Open for Take-Out Virtual Concert Series 

    Best Live Virtual Performance(s) by an Artist – Show or Series – Covers 

    Rick Bedrosian 

    Mark Gamsjager 

    DJ Trumastr 

  • Flashback: Phish play the Gymnasium at Skidmore College on this day in 1990

    On October 5, 1990, Phish performed at Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, an overlooked show that was part of the group’s formative years as they hit college markets across the Northeast. The Skidmore Gymnasium, today a part of the Williamson Sports Center, served as the venue for this all-ages show, which was part of Skidmore’s Oktoberfest Weekend.

    The numbered tickets for the show read “Oktoberfest Weekend 1990 Continues!! The Class of 1991 Presents: Phish In Concert with Conjunction Junction,” and cost $10. For $15, you could also see NRBQ perform the next day, along with Projectile of Love, all part of the same week-long event. The fall Friday afternoon brought college students and their friends to Upstate New York for the show.

    phish skidmore

    Phish was slowly making their way out of Vermont and into New York State, stopping in Saratoga Springs for the first time in March of 1990 to play at Aikos, then located on Caroline Street. For those in the know, and perhaps those who caught Phish at Pauly’s Hotel in May 1989, it was becoming obvious that Phish was a band whose reputation was building fast. By the fall, they had begun to play college gyms around the Northeast. And for the crowd of 300 or so fans, they had plenty of room to move around, but still had to deal with the gym getting warm due to to heaters in gym being on – you can hear calls for air conditioning that can be heard after “Stash.”

    The door on the right was the main entrance to the show – photo by Mike Hogan
    photo by Mike Hogan

    While the show doesn’t spark much discussion or replay, there are a few notable aspects to the show. The opener “I Didn’t Know” jumps out as a random opener, but the song would open sets as early as 1988, sometims with Fishman on trombone instead of vacuum. If you were ever looking for the lyrics to “I Am Hydrogen”, the line “I walk awakening on the misty fields of forever” is included in the intro, while both “Ya Mar” and “Alumni Blues” each have extended guitar intros. One lucky fan who was calling the Phish hotline all summer, asking them to play “The Curtain” at Skidmore was rewarded for their persistence.

    courtesy of Skidmore College archives
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    courtesy of Skidmore College archives
    courtesy of Skidmore College archives
    courtesy of Skidmore College archives

    Mike Hogan attended the show, and shares his recollections of the night:

    It was a beautiful fall afternoon and some of my friends traveled from various parts of New England to come see the show with me in Saratoga at Skidmore college. The show opened with an oddly placed “I Didn’t Know,” followed by a lively “Mike’s Song/Weekapaug” with the additional lyrics as I always thought they were, ”I walk awakening in the misty fields of Rather,” although the show notes say otherwise. Other highlights included “Fee” and “The Asse Festival” and “Possum.”

    Looking back on the setlist, a very solid show that I’ve always enjoyed listening to. A few years back, Kevin Shapiro (Phish archivist) had asked me about this show. He had Trey’s date book and all that was written in it was Saratoga. It had no sense of the venue or setlist. I was able to provide him a bootleg copy.

    One final thought on the ticket stub above. They took everyone’s ticket upon entry. After the show they had simply dropped them on the floor next to the door and I reached down and grabbed one. I wish I had grabbed a handful.

    Matt Hogan

    Just three years later, Phish would be playing their first show at Red Rocks in Colorado.

    Phish – Skidmore Gymnasium, Skidmore College, Saratoga Springs, NY – Friday, October 5, 1990

    Set 1: I Didn’t Know, Mike’s Song > I Am Hydrogen[1] > Weekapaug Groove, My Sweet One, The Landlady, Tela > The Oh Kee Pa Ceremony > Suzy Greenberg, Stash, The Asse Festival, Bouncing Around the Room > Run Like an Antelope

    Set 2: Golgi Apparatus > The Curtain > Ya Mar, Alumni Blues > Letter to Jimmy Page > Alumni Blues, Uncle Pen, Split Open and Melt, Fee > Possum[2]

    Encore: Good Times Bad Times

    [1] “I walk awakening on the misty fields of forever” lyrics.
    [2] Charlie Chan and Popeye signals.

    The beginning of Hydrogen included the lyrics “I walk awakening on the misty fields of forever.” Possum contained Charlie Chan and Popeye signals.

    Phish Skidmore
    An interview with Trey (Tray) and Mike from Phish in the Skidmore News, 10/10/90. Courtesy of Mike Greenhaus.

    Listen below or on PhishTracks.com

  • Zac Brown Band Shows in Syracuse and Saratoga cancelled

    The upcoming Zac Brown Band shows on Saturday at St Joseph’s Health Amphitheater in Syracuse, and Sunday at Saratoga Performing Arts Center (SPAC) have been cancelled. Frontman Zac Brown announced Tuesday that he has tested positive for COVID-19.

    Brown said in a tweet, “I have made the difficult decision to pause Zac Brown Band’s ‘The Comeback Tour.’ Despite taking precautions, I’ve tested positive for COVID-19,” “I am deeply disappointed this has happened, as touring is our life and performing live for our fans is the best part of our job.”

    zac brown band cancelled

    “The bottom line is that I want to take every precaution to put the health and safety of our fans and crew first. We will resume the tour as soon as I have finished the CDC-mandated quarantine and it is safe for our band members and crew to do so,” Brown posted.

    Four Zac Brown Band shows in total have been cancelled, including Clarkston, Michigan on September 30, Burgettstown, Pennsylvania on October 1, Syracuse on October 2 and Saratoga Springs on October 3. Refunds will be available for those canceled shows at the point of purchase.

    The tour takes its name from Zac Brown Band’s upcoming album, The Comeback, slated for release on October 15, featuring the group’s current radio single, “Same Boat.”